August 23, 2012 12:57pm EDTAugust 22, 2012 2:38pm EDTThe Oakland A's will have to continue their playoff quest without Bartolo Colon, who is suspended 50 games. Chris Bahr says that shouldn't be a major setback for a team with plenty of starting pitching.

This month’s second Bay Area bust—on the heels of San Francisco Giants left fielder Melky Cabrera’s 50-game suspension for the same infraction—could have the same effect as the first. The Giants rallied around their remaining drug-free players and have played inspired baseball, overtaking the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West lead.

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The A’s are unlikely to seize control of the Texas Rangers-controlled AL West, and that would have been the case even if Colon hadn’t been busted. But the team’s wild-card chances remain alive and well. And chances are good that the A’s couldn’t care less about the hollow apology of their former teammate.

“I apologize to the fans, to my teammates and to the Oakland A's. I accept responsibility for my actions and I will serve my suspension as required by the Joint Drug Program,” Colon said in a statement released by the players association and one that he hardly anguished over. Like many before him, Colon is sorry—that he got caught.

Sure, Colon will be missed.

He led Oakland with 10 wins, and his 3.43 ERA ranked behind only Brandon McCarthy among the team’s usual starters. And, yes, he had been considered one of the top offseason acquisitions—a classic Billy Beane pickup with plenty of upside and relatively little downside, especially in terms of cost (one year, $2 million). And it cannot be ignored that he provided a valuable veteran presence on an extremely young staff.

But if the A’s ultimately miss the postseason, Colon’s absence won’t be the reason. If there is one area in which the A’s are blessed with enviable depth, it is in the rotation (even after the offseason trades of Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, and the shoulder injury that will sideline Dallas Braden all season).

Consider:

• On Tuesday night, lefthander Brett Anderson limited the Minnesota Twins to one earned run in seven innings, striking out six and walking no one in his first major league start since having Tommy John surgery last summer. If Anderson is even close to 100 percent, he will provide more than even a performance-enhanced Colon could.

• Another future ace is just a call away, as the A’s simply can promote rookie righthander Dan Straily from Class AAA once the 10-day waiting period expires. Straily, the human strikeout machine, was optioned to the minors Monday after impressing in his first three major league starts (3.18 ERA, 1.176 WHIP, 12 strikeouts in 17 innings).

• Yet another rookie righthander, A.J. Griffin is nearing a return from the shoulder discomfort that landed him on the disabled list earlier this month. Prior to the injury, Griffin was 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA and a 0.963 WHIP in eight starts. All of his outings were quality starts with the exception of his last, which he left because of the injury after 1 2/3 scoreless innings.

• Journeyman Travis Blackley, who has made only spot start this month after being shifted to the bullpen, presents another option. In 11 starts this season, the Aussie lefty went 3-3 with a 4.04 ERA and remains a reliable option as a late-season stopgap.

• Should they decide to, the A’s can explore the starting pitcher market. Their trade for shortstop Stephen Drew earlier this week proves they are still in buy mode. Although the pickings might be slim for Beane, some quality arms surely have slipped through waivers.

Oakland’s rotation ranks second in the AL with a 3.78 ERA, and Colon is hardly the only reason for that success. The starting pitching will continue to be the strength that fuels the team’s postseason aspirations.

The A’s biggest concern remains the teams against which they are competing for one of the AL’s wild-card spots. And that will be their focus when they begin a critical three-game series in Tampa Bay on Thursday. Colon had been scheduled to start the opener, but the team instead will turn to Tyson Ross.

Before you write off the A’s against the red-hot Rays, take a look at the way the Giants marched into Dodger Stadium (and Petco Park before that) and took care of business without Cabrera.

The A’s have overcome every obstacle thrown at them this season—amazing even themselves in the process—so what’s one more? Besides, the loss of a near-300-pound cheat actually might prove to be addition by subtraction.